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Into the Name…
Scripture Matthew 28:19“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Reflection When Jesus sends his disciples into the world, he tells them to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy…
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When You Don’t Know How to Pray
Scripture Romans 8:26“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.” Reflection Most of us have had seasons when prayer felt difficult. Maybe the words would not come. Maybe the pain was too heavy.…
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Trinity-God Came Near
Scripture John 1:14“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” Reflection One of the great claims of the Christian faith is that God did not remain at a safe distance and send instructions. God came…
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At the Center of Creation…Love
Scripture 1 John 4:7–8“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Reflection When Scripture says, “God is love,” it is saying something far deeper than God is kind, or God…
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Careful Words as Worship
Scripture Colossians 1:15–17“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible… all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Reflection…
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The Spirit Descends
Scripture John 14:16–17“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” Reflection At…
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The Son in the Water
Scripture John 1:14“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” Reflection At the baptism of Jesus, the Son stands in the water. That is a simple image, but it carries enormous meaning. Jesus does not…
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One God?
Scripture Deuteronomy 6:4–5“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Reflection The doctrine of the Trinity does not begin by moving away from the oneness of God. It begins by holding…
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Before We Explain the Trinity…
Scripture Matthew 3:16–17“And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’”…
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Endowed By the Creator
Declaration Quote:“…they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…” Scripture:“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…”— Luke 4:18 Reflection:The Declaration grounds human rights in the Creator. That is a remarkable claim. It means rights are not merely political arrangements or…
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